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Best treatment for small plantar fibroma?

In March I suddenly experience a sharp pain in my right foot and at night noticed that there was a small bluish bump - I ran to my family doctor who sent me to a podiatrist. The podiatrist after taking an x-ray said nothing was broken and told me to get a MRI. The MRI showed said that it may be a fibroma and recommended a biopsy. The podiatrist said that if he had to cut open my foot for a biopsy, he might as well removed everything as surgery twice may damage my skin. When I was told that I needed to be on crutches for ten days for the biopsy and three weeks if there was surgery, I balked and told the doctor there was no way I could be on crutches. (What the doctor conveniently forgot was that rehab is needed after the surgery and full recovery can take many months). When I asked for non-surgery treatments, I was told to get a second opinion.
On the internet, someone commented that he used Vitamin E to rub into the bump followed by vicks and a heating pad in the evenings. I tried this but after a week or so settled for rubbing Vitamin E into the bump followed by vicks and a bandage just a night.
The bump started to get soft and more research led to me a treatment – cyrotheraphy. I found another podiatrist who specialized in cyro treatment but she was reluctant to do this suggesting verapamil or steroid shots. I refused verapamil and steroid shots wanting to go ahead with cyro. The podiatrist said that she wanted to do a biopsy but didn’t have time that day or in the near future – it seemed that she was reluctant to do anything other than a prescription or steroid treatment.

I continued with the Vitamin E (the podiatrist said that eventually Vitamin E will soften the bump but it takes lots of time) and the vicks – about three months. Then I decided to use a powerful massager on this bump and after about a month it was getting smaller and smaller and now, after four months it is noticeable, but you have to look closely. The outline of the bump is still there but it is soft and almost gone. Will it ever disappear? – I don’t know but it doesn’t cause any discomfort and what I did was a heck of a lot better than surgery.

I don’t know if this will work for everyone but its worth a try. If anyone else has tried this method, please let us know.

I'm sure that there are few podiatrists who would recommend this to you, but on several occasions I have removed small, pea sized fibromas from the soles of my feet myself. These fibromas grow under the skin, often on the ball of the foot or on the heal.

Few podiatrists would recommend this self procedure to you, because this is how podiatrists make their living, and the advice I provide below, would probably be considered to be inconsistent with "professional advice" within the field of medicine.

If you follow my advice, PLEASE REALIZE THAT YOU ASSUME ALL OF THE RISKS OF YOUR ADVENTURE AND ANY CONSEQUENCES, AND I ASSUME NONE. YOU HAVE NOW BEEN LEGALLY WARNED.

SHOULD YOUR FOOT NOT RAPIDLY HEAL WITHIN 48-72 HOURS, OR IF YOUR FOOT APPEARS TO BE GETTING INFECTED, SEE A DOCTOR OR PODIATRIST IMMEDIATELY.

Now here is the procedure.

Take a pair of sterilized, pointed scissors and cut through the surface skin around the entire fibroma. Have some tissue ready because this procedure will cause bleeding in the following stages. Also have a large bandage ready to use.

After cutting through the skin completely around the entire circumference of the fibroma, now use the scissors to begin to pry up on the fibroma, away from the foot. Work around the fibroma until it is approximately half removed or until you can eventually grab onto the fibroma using a tissue between your fingers. The area will begin to bleed. Grab onto the fibroma using the tissue, and RIP the fibroma out of your foot. This is not particularly painful, but it will bleed profusely at first.

Often the fibroma will have a core root that extends a few millimetres into the foot. Try to clear the blood away and check to see if you can see any white remnants of the fibroma which can be removed with the scissors from the deepest area of the excision.

After the blood flow slows, bandage the area of the foot. After 24 hours, remove the bandage and allow air to the area of the foot when sleeping or not walking. For the first 48 to 72 hours, apply a bandage when walking. Walking may or may not be painful during the first day after the procedure.

When you initially remove the bandage after 24 hours, you will see a hole in the skin that extends into the foot. The edges of the cut skin may appear white and swollen, as if soaked in water, from being bandaged. The white edges of the cut skin may be surrounded by mild inflammation. I do not use any medication, but suit yourself. The important part is to keep the area clean before the skin is healed and renewed so that infection is avoided.

The hole in the skin will heal quickly over the next 48 to 72 hours, eventually filling the hole and having a dark thin scab over the newly forming skin. At this point, after 72 hours, when the likelihood of infection becomes low, the bandage can cease to be used.

This area of the foot should completely heal within 2 weeks and the fibroma will appear to be gone. Monitor the area over the next 3-4 months. If the fibroma is going to grow back, you should see and feel it in about 3-4 months.

Repeat the procedure as needed, whenever the fibroma has re-grown to bothersome size. If you are persistent one or more procedures should permanently eliminate the fibroma.

If any of what I have described does not appeal to you, I recommend that you see a podiatrist to have your fibroma surgically removed, with the knowledge that the fibroma may return, even after surgery by a podiatrist, requiring a second or third trip to the podiatrist.

I have had a plantar fibroma in the arch of my foot for about 16 months now. It became so painful at one point that I wasn't able to put any pressure on the foot. My podiatrist recommended 6 weeks of physical therapy with ultrasound and steroid treatment (not injections) it was this little battery operated thing that sucks the liquid steroid through the skin using positive and negative ions. The lump is still there, but it is much smaller and I can walk now! I just cant be on my feet for long periods of time b/c that causes more pain.

Does anyone have any suggestions of other forms of non-invasive treatment to try? I would love to hear what has worked! I did set up the surgery but I think I'm going to call and cancel. I am really worried about crippling my foot and doing more damage.

In March I suddenly experience a sharp pain in my right foot and at night noticed that there was a small bluish bump - I ran to my family doctor who sent me to a podiatrist. The podiatrist after taking an x-ray said nothing was broken and told me to get a MRI. The MRI showed said that it may be a fibroma and recommended a biopsy. The podiatrist said that if he had to cut open my foot for a biopsy, he might as well removed everything as surgery twice may damage my skin. When I was told that I needed to be on crutches for ten days for the biopsy and three weeks if there was surgery, I balked and told the doctor there was no way I could be on crutches. (What the doctor conveniently forgot was that rehab is needed after the surgery and full recovery can take many months). When I asked for non-surgery treatments, I was told to get a second opinion.
On the internet, someone commented that he used Vitamin E to rub into the bump followed by vicks and a heating pad in the evenings. I tried this but after a week or so settled for rubbing Vitamin E into the bump followed by vicks and a bandage just a night.
The bump started to get soft and more research led to me a treatment – cyrotheraphy. I found another podiatrist who specialized in cyro treatment but she was reluctant to do this suggesting verapamil or steroid shots. I refused verapamil and steroid shots wanting to go ahead with cyro. The podiatrist said that she wanted to do a biopsy but didn’t have time that day or in the near future – it seemed that she was reluctant to do anything other than a prescription or steroid treatment.

I continued with the Vitamin E (the podiatrist said that eventually Vitamin E will soften the bump but it takes lots of time) and the vicks – about three months. Then I decided to use a powerful massager on this bump and after about a month it was getting smaller and smaller and now, after four months it is noticeable, but you have to look closely. The outline of the bump is still there but it is soft and almost gone. Will it ever disappear? – I don’t know but it doesn’t cause any discomfort and what I did was a heck of a lot better than surgery.

I don’t know if this will work for everyone but its worth a try. If anyone else has tried this method, please let us know.

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After a couple of months of using a prescription treatment on my plantar fibroma (Voltaren gel) and not seeing any results I decided to try the Vitamin E and the Vicks with the heating pad after reading this post. The results thus far have been remarkable. The lumps have shrunk considerably in a very short period of time. The Voltaren needed to be applied 4 times a day, but I only use the Vitamin E, Vicks and heating pad (approx. 30 minutes with the heating pad) before I go to bed. I also massage my arches by rolling my feet over a tennis ball. Thank you for posting this because it is working for me!

My physical therapist uses massage and iontoforesis. In this procedure, liquid cortisone is absorbed at the site of the fibroma. It really does help but, unfortunately, is temporary. The liquid cortisone has been discontinued by the pharmaceutical companies, but a compounding pharmacy can make it for you. I'm very lucky that my insurance company covers the pt
visits (so far).

A couple of years ago I tried Verapamil, but it caused vertigo. (It actually is a blood pressure medicine.)

I had surgery to remove the lump on the arch of my foot. The pathology came back as a neuroma. The doctor has consistently refuted that and had the pathology report changed. Has anybody had this problem where it turned out to be a neuroma or a stump neuroma? I feel like I am getting a run around. Maybe it was mostly a fibroma and she clipped the medial plantar nerve and it was a combination of both. At any rate it has grown back with a vengeance. I would highly recommend never doing surgery. Any input anyone has would be great.

My Plantar Fibroma started out small under my left arch, not painful but continued to grow and I was distraught thinking it was cancer... and even more foolishly rather than go to the doctor tried to ignore it...

It grew worse, with 3 small grapes under my left foot and then started on my right (which caused even more angst and me to withdraw into myself rather than seek doctor's help)...

It was another 5 years before I even found a similar thread after much surfing (and still for whatever reason not going to the doctor)...

5 yrs later under my left foot they are still the same size... but the right now has 3 larger than grape sizes which grew pretty quickly and seem to be increasing.

I am going to try the VitE 'method' but am interested to know how it could possibly be absorbed into the Plantar... I understand how it gets into the skin but not thought it?

A few more observations I've made whilst reading countless threads is that many sufferers... have a common denominator in that they work for long hrs on their feet (major factor it seems) and continue to do so no matter what (myself included).

High arches on top of that is common and also l've noticed alcohol abuse and poor liver function...

Not much point to this post other than to get a bit off my chest... thanks all the same...

I had two 1 centimeter knots turn up on a tendon in my left foot. I went to a podiatrist and he said they were plantar fibromas that would require surgery at some future date if they started to grow and give me problems. After talking with other people, in particular a person who crafted orthodics to wear in shoes, it became clear that the last thing one should do is have surgery because the fibromas usually come back in larger numbers. I considered verapamil gel after talking with the scientist that helped develop the product. He indicated that in trials they found that it would soften and pancake the fibroma growths but could not assure me that they would permanently go away after treatment. The cost of this treatment is high and most if not all insurance companies will not pay for it. Because I am a runner, I was very committed to getting rid of the condition. On a whim I tried a product I had on hand that is sold as a topical pain killer. It contains DMSO (universal solvent) and Emu oil as carriers and ten other natural ingredients that are mainly natural oils in addition to MSM. Much to my surprise, within a week of using the product it started to soften and pancake the tissue masses and within three weeks they shrunk completed beneath the skin and were not visible. I used the product once in the morning and once in the evening. It takes only one to two drops and it absorbs within 5 minutes. I started running again with zero pain - that was six years ago. I can still fill the fibroids below the surface of the skin but they cause no pain and have never enlarged again. I now use the product only once per day in the morning. I don't know why this product sold by North Star Nutritional would not work in similar fashion for others with plantar fibroma. One bottle (1-1/2 ounces) costs about $48 and last me about 10 months when using about 2 to 4 drops a day. The product is called Soothanol X2. Best of Luck!

Hi guys, I have what Dr's call a plantar fibroma on my left foot. Pee sized, by the ball of my foot. It sidelined me from my sand volleyball about 9 months ago. I had injections...didn't work. Orthodics...didn't work. I have cut out a small hole in all my shoes to help. Use cushions, soak, etc.
It went away for a while a few month back but is now back full force. I will admit that I tried rolling on a wood dowel to stretch things out. I tried to stay off the fibroma but I guess not enough. It felt good at first but I obviously irritated it. I heard this worked for others, so I tried it. I have been in pain again for about a few weeks now. No more direct contact on the fibroma. However, massage around it seems to help. My experiment of trying to roll on it and break it up failed.....painfully.
I am also putting a topical self made mix on it at night and the morning with a bandage cover. I read that folks have had vitamin E oil and Vicks help shrink or break it up. I also heard about the Verapamil expensive stuff. I almost bought some but thought I would try the Vicks and Vit E oil first. I added a topical pain ointment to the mix as well. I think it helps a bit. It has been about 8 days now. My DR said Verapamil was a long shot, expensive and not covered by insurance.
All the Podiatrists I have seen have no real answers. They do say, Don't do surgery! I am with them on that.
I would think they could inject it with something to break up the mass or at least shrink it?
Any thoughts and recommendations on what to do or try next would be appreciated. I will be reading through the posts to see what folks have said and tried etc. Radio Therapy is something I had not heard about?
Thanks,
Jim from So Cal.

I had two 1 centimeter knots turn up on a tendon in my left foot. I went to a podiatrist and he said they were plantar fibromas that would require surgery at some future date if they started to grow and give me problems. After talking with other people, in particular a person who crafted orthodics to wear in shoes, it became clear that the last thing one should do is have surgery because the fibromas usually come back in larger numbers. I considered verapamil gel after talking with the scientist that helped develop the product. He indicated that in trials they found that it would soften and pancake the fibroma growths but could not assure me that they would permanently go away after treatment. The cost of this treatment is high and most if not all insurance companies will not pay for it. Because I am a runner, I was very committed to getting rid of the condition. On a whim I tried a product I had on hand that is sold as a topical pain killer. It contains DMSO (universal solvent) and Emu oil as carriers and ten other natural ingredients that are mainly natural oils in addition to MSM. Much to my surprise, within a week of using the product it started to soften and pancake the tissue masses and within three weeks they shrunk completed beneath the skin and were not visible. I used the product once in the morning and once in the evening. It takes only one to two drops and it absorbs within 5 minutes. I started running again with zero pain - that was six years ago. I can still fill the fibroids below the surface of the skin but they cause no pain and have never enlarged again. I now use the product only once per day in the morning. I don't know why this product sold by North Star Nutritional would not work in similar fashion for others with plantar fibroma. One bottle (1-1/2 ounces) costs about $48 and last me about 10 months when using about 2 to 4 drops a day. The product is called Soothanol X2. Best of Luck!

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I would like to try this. I will look up Soothanol X2. Can you get at health markets?

That is really interesting. DMSO is supposed to dissolve scar tissue, so that would sort of make sense. I wonder if anyone else has tried this, and am going to hunt around on the web.
Liz

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With regard to DMSO, I have familiarity with using this product and it is a great resource for things like sprains where swelling and bleeding occur. I have it on good authority that DMSO is used in trauma centers in Europe on a regular bases to treat serious spinal cord injuries. For reasons unknown, it allows cells to live under oxygen deprived conditions. I used it one time after a sprain and it can literally stop swelling in its tracks and make the sprain a whole lot less severe in terms of recovery time if used immediately. When you use DMSO in 99% plus pure form or diluted to 50 to 70% with water you will smell it on your breath within 10 to 30 seconds after application. This is how fast it absorbs through the skin and into the blood stream. This is one of the reasons I believe Soothanol X2 is effective. Emu oil and DMSO are the ingredients that deliver the other multiple products in X2 to the fibroid tissue. I suspect it is a combination of the products in X2 that make it work so effectively and not just the DMSO. Soothanol X2 is not messy and never caused any skin irritation with one minor exception. I mentioned that I am a runner and when doing long runs of over 14 miles in the warm months my feet tend to sweat just a little bit. The cayenne flower in X2 will cause a warming sensation like "hot foot" that goes away after I stop running. It never causes a problem walking around in street shoes. I would not try treating fibroids with DMSO products alone. Even though the skin on the bottom of the foot is relatively insensitive, I suspect protracted use will lead to considerable irritation unless you have very oily skin. DMSO does cause skin irritation in a lot of people if used multiple times at the same skin site. Just be patient and I think you will find that Soothanol X2 will start to soften and shrink the fibroid masses. Its pain killing properties may help alleviate pain in the interim wait. Two drops of this solution is enough to treat a five inch square area on the bottom of the foot - it doesn't take much. Hope this helps.

Thanks for the great info Dan. I just started using this yesterday. It did seem to help with the pain while walking. I can only hope that it will in fact shrink the fibroma on my arch. I am not sure if I am applying correctly. I am just tipping the bottle on my finger tip to get a bit and then rub on my foot fibroma pee size knot. It doesn't seem like that would be enough. Do you have to clean the area each time because it absorbs so easily? Do you always wash your hands after? I was thinking of getting a dropper to get an actual drop or two as opposed to just the finger smearing I am doing. I am going to also try in on my patellar tendonitis / jumpers knee. Thanks again for the help.
Jim

Thanks for the great info Dan. I just started using this yesterday. It did seem to help with the pain while walking. I can only hope that it will in fact shrink the fibroma on my arch. I am not sure if I am applying correctly. I am just tipping the bottle on my finger tip to get a bit and then rub on my foot fibroma pee size knot. It doesn't seem like that would be enough. Do you have to clean the area each time because it absorbs so easily? Do you always wash your hands after? I was thinking of getting a dropper to get an actual drop or two as opposed to just the finger smearing I am doing. I am going to also try in on my patellar tendonitis / jumpers knee. Thanks again for the help.
Jim

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Jim, I find the finger smearing method to work just fine. I take my index finger and place it over the end of the bottle with the bottle turned upside down. I then slowly lower my finger off the end of the bottle just a little bit so the solution will flow onto the finger (about 2 drops). I perform this exercise with the bottle over the affected foot just in case the solution drips off my finger before I get my finger to the foot. I then smear the solution over the affected area using my index finger. I would emphasize that more is not necessarily better and can be wasteful. As long as you get a thin film on the affected areas it seems to work. Softening and subsequently shrinkage for me occurred very gradually over a three week period. Everyone will be somewhat different so be patient and give it at least 6 weeks. I bet you will be surprised by then. As long as your hand and finger are clean to begin with, I would not be too concerned about washing my hands afterwards. I just dry my finger by rubbing it over another skin area of the body to wipe off any residual ointment. You could wipe it on your soar knee for instance. The amount of DMSO in this product is small. As I mentioned previously, I have never used it more than two times a day with good results. I look forward to hearing about your results.

Ok I'm gonn a lay it on you guys for a cure option. Wait did i say cure? Doctors hardly use that word,Something that worked for me. A juice fast! Or juice feast to be less frightening. That means you're not eating solid foods during this fast. Nothing but fruit and vegetable juice. Look up how to correctly do this for most people can't even last a day. Believe it or not mine went away afteday 6. It depends how big the lump and how bad the condition is. I would do it for at least 18 days or until its gone completely. Mine still hasnt grown back after 6 months. Think natural ways guys! Not medical, medical keeps MOST doctors happy when you come back. The only thing you need yor doctor for is his approval and supervision only because everyone is in different conditions and some are taking medications. And after it disappears. Make healthier decisions while you're at it. Exercise and eat healthier. As with most of these posts I'll finish this with a traditional "good luck". But you'll only need luck for doing a juice feast the correct and healthy way..oh and keeping your doc happy.

I was having foot pain the other day at work and in the morning I woke up and had a painful lump in the arch of my foot. It's been there for about a week and I have been putting lemon grass essential oil and vitamin e on it. This morning I felt the lump and put the lemon grass and vitamin e on it and went to the chiropractor. By the time I got there she couldn't feel it. I don't know if its just a temporary relief but I'm going to keep putting it on and see what happens. The chiropractor told me to keep doing what I'm doing. Just wanted to put it out there...

I've had plantar fibromas for 10 yrs. now. I started with cortisone shots. They were excruciating and didn't do a thing. I've had 3 surgeries and all they do is come back in mass and bigger than before. Last year I had the plantar fascia release (they cut one of the tendons in your calf and it releases the tendon to give more flexibility in the foot. It isn't supposed to cure them, but it's supposed to keep more from growing and the existing ones from getting larger. Mine have continued to grow on both feet. I also tried the Verapamil and laser treatments, and that was a big waste of money (not covered by insurance). I'm desperate to find something that works. I'm going to try stretching. Does anyone know of a salve or cream that works to shrink them in conjunction with the stretching?

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I have had Fibromas (6 total) on both feet for two years. Three months ago the largest was the size of half a golf ball, and painful.

I have been using Verapamil all along with only marginal impact, but 2 months ago I began stretching for 5 minutes 2x per day and immediately applying the Verapimil (VP). I saw noticable reduction right away and I assumed it was because of increased blood flow that would deliver the VP to the nodules.

So then I tried warming the nodules by putting my feet in front of a goose-neck lamp curled around so as I put my foot up on my desk (my normal work posture), I could easily toast my sole until pretty warm. Then I immediately rub in the VP.

Hi.
A chiropractor is the best way to get rid of the pain. Then you should stretch your inner gastrocnemius muscle (Hope Google translate gave me the correct word) If your fibromatosis is not too big, this should really help. It helped me.

Hi Guys, I have been using the soothanol x2 for a while now and it doesn't seem to be shrinking the fibroma. It does seem to help with the pain though. I will keep trying and also keep with the stretching and try heating it. Massage only irritates it and I have to be gentle with the stretching. I wish there was something that would dissolve this lump. I am getting sick of feeling like I am walking with a rock in my shoe.
Hope more post and ideas come through. The Foot Dr's have been no real help.
Thanks, Jim